Adrian Ludwig is a seasoned pro when it comes to the Kansas Relays.

The Free State High senior — running in his third Relays — found himself caught in the pack during the start of the 800-meter run, but he knew how to solve that problem Friday at Memorial Stadium.

“When you get tripped up a little bit, you’ve got slow your speed and then you have to put it back up another gear,” Ludwig said.

After 300 meters, Ludwig moved to the outside, stayed with the leaders for another lap and held on for third place, just behind Oak Park (Mo.) runner Cole McAllister. Ludwig’s time — 1:55.82 — was a personal best and just a second behind Aaron Paul’s school record.

“He ran very smart, which is good to see,” FSHS coach Steve Heffernan said. “Instead of going out and not getting caught in the back of the pack, he fought for his position. That was very impressive.”

Afterward, Ludwig fretted about nearly breaking the record and missing out on second place, but he realized third was something special. Especially in a race where the winner, Marble Falls (Texas) junior Leonel Manzano, broke the Relays record and notched the fastest prep time in the country.

“I’m very happy with that,” Ludwig said. “I’ll take third place in an event like that anytime.”

Ludwig was the city’s highest placer Friday, but it was far from a gloomy day for Lawrence High and Free State. The rain forecast for Friday afternoon never arrived, and athletes from both schools managed to leave with sunny dispositions — though one of them had more than a few bumps and bruises.

LHS senior Audrey Pope finished the anchor leg of the Lions’ 1,600-meter relay with a dive at the finish line. She was still for a minute, then was helped up by meet officials.

“She’s OK,” LHS coach Jerry Skakal said. “How about that effort? That’s giving it everything.”

It was her third race of the day and the last two provided a nice show for fans.

Lawrence High's Audrey Pope takes the handoff from Lindsay Garito during the 400-meter relay. The Lions won their heat Friday at the Kansas Relays and advanced to today's finals at Memorial Stadium.

After placing fourth in the 300 hurdles, Pope anchored the 400 relay team of seniors Lindsay Garito, Shari Lassiter and junior Alicia Waymaster, which had a season-best time of 50.91 seconds and qualified for today’s finals.

Just getting to the finals was a chore.

“Oh my, talk about adversity,” Pope said.

Officials called one team for a false start, which scared Lassiter.

“I heard that false start and was like, ‘Oh no, Shari did it again!,” Lassiter, said, laughing. “I was down in my blocks and said, I’m staying here, I’m not moving. I don’t care if I get out late.”

She actually had a great start, making up the stagger on Raytown South (Mo.) when she handed off to Waymaster. That handoff was a little sluggish, but Garito and Pope had problems of their own. The Lions use rubber discs to mark their go points on the relay — except for one thing.

“They wouldn’t let us use them,” Pope said. “Skakal’s over there yelling, ‘It’s OK! (to use them). It’s not state!'”

So Skakal offered a simple solution.

“I told Audrey to put a piece of tape across the whole lane,” he said. “And she did.”

Pope zoomed down the backstretch, and LHS won its heat.

LHS senior Chris Fulton was the only other city athlete to qualify for today’s finals, but not the only one to place.

LHS senior Dylan McClain was fifth in the 3,200 run, and FSHS senior Hiral Bhakta was ninth. The Firebirds’ distance-medley relay of sophomore Alex Rock, Bhakta, Ben Marshall and Ludwig was seventh in 10:51.29.

FSHS junior Lauren Abney was sixth in the javelin, throwing 130-0. It wasn’t a personal best, but she had the poor morning conditions. Not that she cared about that.

“You want to blame it on the weather,” Abney said. “But you really can’t.”

Besides, “At the other meets you’re usually at the top,” Abney said. “Here the girls just come in and show you up. It just makes you want to get back and keep on working.”

And some, like LHS junior Drew Cummings, simply ran better than they ever have before, but didn’t have a place to show for it. But Cummings, who was 14th in the 400, running 51.13, didn’t mind.

“I like that,” Cummings said. “I’m thrilled with that.”

That’s what Skakal was hoping for — everything an athlete could give.

“For my measuring stick, I just need to see you compete,” he said. “That’s all I ask.”